Return to Reality
by smk123
Summary: This is a follow-up to "Interlude from Reality." Amanda and Lee survived the helicopter crash and are safely back in DC. Lee wants to put the case behind him and move forward in his relationship with Amanda but does life ever go smoothly for these two?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.

Notes: This is the sequel to my story "Interlude from Reality" which you should probably read first in order for this story to make sense. Many thanks to all of the Gutter Girls at Wicklowplace who read "Interlude" and posed questions throughout thus inspiring this tale. Hopefully I've provided the answers you wanted.

Many thanks to Ermintrude for finding and fixing my mistakes. Any that still exist are my fault, due to post-beta tweaks!

Title – Return to Reality

Timeline - 3rd season – five days after "Interlude from Reality" - breaks canon - might be considered AU

Rating – Mature (NC – 17 version available at the Wicky Archives)

Genre - Drama/Romance

Warnings: a few bits of swearing, some violence, sexual situations

Author – Charlie

Chapter 1

The usual hospital sounds drifted into the bland utilitarian room: doctors being paged, visitors laughing as they walked down the hall, concerned nurses discussing difficult cases. A food cart rattled by and the smell of lunch seeped through the open doorway. Lee sniffed the air then sighed. After seven days in the hospital, the food all smelled and tasted the same. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed and pulled the covers straight then checked his watch.

Amanda was late. Her visits were the only thing that made his stay in the hospital bearable. He felt fine and had been asking to go home but no one would listen to him. At least when Amanda was here, he could forget where he was and bask in the warmth of their newly acknowledged love for each other. Not that he could act on that love. Every time they so much as kissed, someone came into the room wanting to give him pills or take his blood pressure. Once they'd even had the nerve to try and wheel him off for therapy right in the middle of visiting hours. He'd quickly set them straight on that!

A quick glance at his watch told him that it was only five minutes later than the last time he'd checked. It wasn't that Amanda was really that late—only fifteen minutes—but she'd had an appointment with Dr. Pfaff today and he was anxious to know how it had gone. Ever since the crash, Amanda had been plagued with recurring headaches. Some were severe while others were just a dull nagging pain. Lee secretly feared that she had suffered a brain injury but Amanda was sure it was nothing. She was more concerned about the feeling that she hadn't yet fully recovered all of her memories from before the crash.

It had been a week since their rescue after the helicopter they'd been in had gone down in the mountains. As a result of the accident, Amanda had suffered amnesia while Lee had a dislocated shoulder. The shoulder had been painful but it was a knife cut to his leg, sustained in an earlier fight, that had caused the most problems. It had become severely infected and had necessitated his prolonged hospital stay.

For her part, Amanda had only been in the hospital overnight. Various cuts and bruises had been dealt with and were now healing well. Doctors had determined that the amnesia was caused by a blow to the head during the crash. There was no sign of a fracture or concussion and, by the time she'd arrived in the emergency room, she had been cognizant of almost all of the important details of her life.

The sound of heels clicking briskly down the tiled hallway had Lee sitting up straighter in bed. He'd recognize the sound of her walk anywhere. His face broke into a smile as she stepped through the door, her presence brightening the institutionalized atmosphere that normally hung over the room.

"Hello sweetheart! How are you feeling today?" She leaned over the bed and gave him a welcoming kiss. Their lips had just met, when a hospital volunteer appeared with a lunch tray. Quickly Amanda stepped away and Lee cast her a frustrated look. The volunteer cheerily wheeled the bedside table into place and set his lunch tray down all the while expounding the dubious benefits of the day's menu.

"Thank you, this smells delicious. I'm sure he'll enjoy it." Amanda spoke warmly to the volunteer who flashed her a quick smile then hurried out, pulling the door closed and blocking out the sounds from the corridor.

Lee lifted the lid off the plate. "It looks even worse than it smells," he grumbled, poking the soggy vegetables with a fork before replacing the cover and pushing the tray away. "I'm not hungry anyway."

"Now Lee, you have to eat so that your body can heal." Amanda scolded moving the meal into place again. "Just try the soup, while I tell you about my morning."

He reluctantly conceded and sipped the broth while Amanda sat down beside him and outlined her day so far. She filled her account with tidbits about the boys and her mother leaving for a long weekend away at Aunt Edna's. Then she related a story about Beaman spilling his rice pudding onto a long suffering Francine. Finally she got to her appointment with Pfaff who reiterated that there was no reason for concern. Her injury and subsequent recovery were progressing in a predictable yet unremarkable fashion.

"So he's sure there's no permanent damage?" Lee traced the faintly discoloured mark on Amanda's forehead—the only visible reminder of her injury.

"Yes, the scans came back normal. Pfaff says that sometimes, after a bump on the head, there are tiny snippets of memory that never return. It's not that uncommon and usually it's something that happened right before the trauma. The headaches could be from me stressing over the fact that I think I've forgotten something."

"Hmm—and you're really sure there is something still missing?"

"That's just it! I don't know...It's like I told you before. There's this annoying feeling I have that there's something important I should be remembering or doing but I can't put my finger on it."

Lee gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Well—we've been back for a week and the world hasn't come crashing to an end, so whatever it was, it probably wasn't crucial. Maybe it's just some dry-cleaning that you've forgotten to pick up or a PTA meeting. You need to quit trying so hard. If it's meant to be recalled, it will happen."

Amanda gave him a half smile and shrugged. "You're probably right."

The sound of the door opening had them quickly springing apart. Their boss, Mr. Melrose entered the room to find Amanda sitting in a chair beside Lee's bed, her hands folded primly in her lap while Lee made a show of eating his lunch.

"Ah! You're both here – perfect." The section chief smiled at his agents. "Scarecrow, I hear that you're being your usual charming self and the nurses are asking to be assigned to different floors."

"Aww, Billy, I'm not that bad..." Lee started to protest but stopped as both his boss and Amanda stared at him with knowing looks. "Well, I just don't like being stuck in bed with everyone fussing around me."

"Hmph—well, you're being released today so that should make you, and everyone who works here, very happy. They gave me your prescription for a few more days of antibiotics and a therapy schedule for your shoulder." Mr. Melrose started to hand the papers to Lee but Amanda intercepted them.

"I'll take those, Sir. Lee's likely to lose them."

"Good idea, Amanda. You can make sure he gets the prescription filled and put the dates for his physical therapy in his day planner. That way, there will be no excuses—right Lee?" Billy smirked. Everyone present knew full well that, left to his own devices, Lee wouldn't follow through on any of the doctor's orders.

"Fine. If that's what it takes to get out of here." Lee sat up, pushed the lunch tray out of his way and swung his legs out of bed. "Any news on Riley? Did his henchmen spill anything new?"

"We're still looking for Riley but the two who were tracking you, Dwayne and Bob, have been singing like birds. Their testimony, along with your information, has enabled us to put most of that group behind bars. "

"Mr. Melrose, what about Marcus? We haven't seen him since the crash." Amanda inquired after the agent who had managed to alert the Agency of the accident and was responsible for them being rescued.

"Strange that you should ask. He's one of the reasons that I'm here. "

"Really?" Lee sat up straighter, his radar kicking in. "What's going on?"

"Well, some things don't add up. Immediately after giving his report, he took an unpaid leave of absence and hasn't been seen or heard from since." Billy sighed heavily and shook his head.

Amanda's brow furrowed in concern. "I hope he's alright. The helicopter crash and having to hike down the mountain to get help must have been hard on him..."

"Maybe he just needed some time away. I've done that before—being undercover for an extended period of time takes a lot out of you." Lee made the suggestion but knew there was more to it, just by the look on the section chief's face.

"If he had just gone off for awhile, I wouldn't be concerned but, when I studied the transcripts of his debriefing, I discovered that his account of events doesn't totally match with yours or Amanda's."

"In what way?" Amanda queried, sitting forward in the chair and staring intently at her boss.

Billy turned and addressed Lee first. "Marcus told you that he overheard Riley talking, correct? That Riley was planning on selling you to the highest bidder. "

"Yes, that's basically it. He figured that, given the level of my security clearance, I'd have a wide knowledge of sensitive information that foreign governments would love to get their hands on."

"He's right. You'd fetch a fine amount on the open market." Billy acknowledged the truth of Lee's statement. No one mentioned the fact that torture and heavy doses of drugs would have been used to extract the information. It was an unpleasant reality that was best left unsaid. Looking towards Amanda, Billy noted she was rubbing her temple and looking rather pale. "Are you all right, Amanda?"

"Yes Sir, just a headache that suddenly started again. It's making me a bit queasy this time. I'll take something for it. Don't mind me." She reached for her purse and rummaged about, finding a small pill case containing Tylenol.

"Okay ...if you're sure?" He watched her for a moment as she took the pill and then gave him a quick smile. With a nod in her direction, he continued. "After being captured, Lee was knocked out and all three of you were taken to the camp and kept in a tent. Is that accurate? "Amanda nodded. "At any time, was Marcus by himself?"

"No Sir. We were tied up and in the tent together the whole time."

"Did you overhear David Riley talking to anyone about his plans for Scarecrow?"

"No, I only heard the guard that hit me. He was outside the tent talking to someone about his...er... 'plans' for me but I didn't hear anything being said about Lee."

"And that's the problem, dammit." Billy hit the bedside table with his hand, causing the remains of Lee's soup to slosh over the sides of the bowl. "When did Marcus overhear Riley's conversation? If you were all together, Amanda would have heard it too."

"Maybe this was before we arrived at the meeting site. After Marcus was captured and while they were waiting for us to arrive, Riley could have been talking about Lee then." Amanda suggested, using a napkin to sop up the spilled soup.

"But Riley shouldn't have been waiting for us. He wouldn't have known I was going to be there unless someone told him. A captured agent would never reveal the name of the contact that was meeting him unless extreme measures had been used. Hell, they hadn't even been trying to get information out of Marcus— he didn't even have a scratch on him. There was no reason for him to break and reveal my name to Riley. He was being held at gun point but that's all." Lee felt a combination of anger and disgust at the thought of a traitor in their midst. "Billy, it sounds to me like Marcus is on the take."

Billy shook his head sadly. "The man's been an agent for years with an impeccable record. He's one of the last people I'd suspect but this just doesn't look good."

"If Marcus has turned against the Agency, then why did he help us escape? And why did he bandage us up? He could have just left us or gone back to where Riley was but instead he contacted you. Those aren't the actions of a traitor." Amanda pointed out.

"Exactly. No matter which way I look at this, it doesn't make sense. That's where you two come in." Billy put his hands in his pocket and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"Billy, I'm still officially off the duty roster." Lee reminded the other man. He could see where this was going and wasn't pleased. He'd planned on spending the next few days with Amanda, exploring their new relationship outside the confines of a hospital room—not working another case already!

"I know, but this is an 'unofficial' assignment. You and Amanda are just going to pay a call on Marcus. If he's there, you can ask how he's feeling, update him on your condition and while Amanda distracts him, you can take a quick snoop around his house to see if you come up with anything. If he's not there, you can still look around. It's really simple and won't interfere with your therapy schedule. "

"Last time you said it was a simple assignment and then we ended up here." Lee glumly recalled how the last 'milk run' had gone sour.

"Mr. Melrose, why don't you just question Marcus directly?" Amanda asked, frowning at Lee.

"If he is on the take, we want as much evidence as possible and we don't want to spook him. If there's an innocent explanation, we don't want this spread over the whole Agency, ruining his good name. A quiet unofficial investigation is what's called for in a case like this."

Lee sighed noisily letting his displeasure be known. Amanda laid her hand on his arm, "Lee, I know you still don't feel well but Marcus did a lot to help us and I think we should try to help clear up this misunderstanding."

"Fine—I'll do it." Lee reluctantly agreed. "But I want an extra couple of days off later on to make up for this."

"Of course," Billy nodded suppressing a smirk. "I'll make a note in your file and some day, when things aren't too busy, you can take some time off."

"Where have I heard that before?" Lee grumbled under his breath.

After a bit more discussion, Billy left and the nurse came to take a final check of Lee's vitals. Amanda gathered up his possessions while he fussed through having his temperature and blood pressure taken then she waited patiently while he was in the washroom changing into his street clothes. His doctor stopped by with a few final instructions about medication and the need for physical therapy on his shoulder. Finally, Lee signed his release papers and happily left the hospital room behind.

He inhaled deeply as he exited the building. It was a bright sunny day and it felt good to be outside after being cooped up for a week. Reaching for Amanda's hand, he gave it a quick squeeze. Mentally he planned how he would spend the remainder of his sick leave. 'Amanda and I will check out Marcus' house and see if he's there or not. Then, after a quick report to Billy, the next few days will be all ours. Amanda's family is gone for the weekend so we'll finally be able to spend some uninterrupted time alone." Lee smiled to himself, pleased with the turn of events. Everything was working out perfectly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lee's plans of dealing with Marcus right away were quickly negated by Amanda. She had her own agenda which included driving him to the drug store to get his prescription filled. Once that was taken care of, she headed towards the apartment. He grumbled along the way about getting pills he didn't need but the sight of his silver Corvette, waiting for him outside his building eased his mood and brought a smile to his face.

"How did you get it back? I thought it would be in a compound as an abandoned vehicle—it sort of got left behind when Riley captured us."

"We have our ways, Scarecrow." She smiled mysteriously at him and winked before explaining. "It actually wasn't too difficult. A few phone calls, along with dropping the words "Agency" and "Federal Agent" really smoothed the way to having 'your baby' released and shipped back to DC."

"Thanks, Manda. I really appreciate that." Lee leaned over to give her a quick kiss before walking around his car, checking for any damage. "Hey! She's as good as new—not a scratch on her."

"Now if we could only say the same for her owner." Amanda led him away from the vehicle and into the building. They nodded at the doorman and then rode the elevator to his floor, Lee's hand possessively around her waist the whole time.

He pulled out his key, unlocked the door and then paused. "You know Amanda this is the first time for us to be here."

"Lee, we've been here dozens of times. What are you talking about?"

"Yes, we've been here before but then it was you and me—separate —now we're an 'us', if you know what I mean." He looked at his partner and smiled. It felt good to think that he was part of a couple after so many years of being alone.

"You're right. I hadn't thought of that before."

"We should do something special. Maybe I could carry you over the threshold."

Amanda laughed. "Not with your shoulder you don't. The muscles aren't properly healed yet. How about we just stand in the door way and kiss?"

"I like that idea even better." He opened the door, took half a step inside, and then pulled her into his arms. Slowly his lips met hers, gently at first and then with increasing intensity as the feeling between them grew.

"Welcome home, Mr. Stetson." The sound of an elderly voice behind him had him jumping away from Amanda. Looking over his shoulder, he saw his neighbour, Mrs. Tisdale, walking towards the elevator. He frowned. She'd never spoken to him before.

"Huh—I wonder what that was all about?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Oh, Stella was just surprised to see you I expect." Amanda explained, walking into Lee's apartment.

"Stella? I didn't know that was her name. I've never even talked to her before." He followed her inside and shut the door.

"I met her yesterday in the elevator when I brought some groceries over. We started talking and I introduced myself. She was commenting that she hadn't seen you lately and was wondering if you'd be back soon. I told her you'd been away but were expected back any day now which was why I was bringing some grocery staples over."

"I'm glad you were right and they let me out of the hospital." Lee dropped onto his couch and gave a happy sigh. "It's good to be home. Now I can finally relax."

Amanda stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. "I know—there's no place like home. I'll just fix you a bite to eat and then leave so you can rest."

"No! I mean...you don't have to go right away do you?" Lee half turned and looked up at her in surprise.

"Well, I can stay for a while but you need to rest..."

"I'll rest better if you're here." Lee took her hand and pulled her down for a quick kiss.

Amanda smiled at him. "Okay, if you put it that way, I guess I can squeeze you into my schedule."

Lee beckoned for Amanda to sit beside him and she circled the couch. Sitting down, she half turned to face him. He reached over to gently run his hand over her cheek and then worked his fingers under her hair to cup the back of her head. Slowly he pulled her closer. "I've been wanting to do this for the past week but some damn nurse or an orderly or a neighbour keeps appearing every time I start to kiss you." His eyes fixed on her lips and her tongue darted out to moisten them.

With a groan, he crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with all of the pent up desire of the past week. Amanda met him as an equal, opening her mouth to take him in while burying her hands in his hair. As they kissed hungrily, Lee slid his hands down to her shoulders, to her waist and back up. He pressed her body against his, a rumble of pleasure rising from deep inside him.

Slowly he withdrew from the kiss and stared at the woman before him. Her eyes were half shut and a satisfied smile was spreading across her lips. Lee brushed a lock of hair off her forehead and whispered, "I love you."

"I know." Amanda looked up at him. "I love you, too." She leaned forward and kissed him one more time before slowly sliding out of his arms. "As much as I'd like to continue this, it isn't the time. You've been ill for the past week."

"They released me because I'm better now. The nurse said my 'vitals' are great."

"I think your 'vitals' are great too but that's not what she was referring to and you know it." Amanda shook her head and laughed. "Lee Stetson—you're just home from the hospital! You need to eat something and have a nap, nothing else. You might feel fine now but you'll find you don't have the stamina you think, once you start trying to do things."

"A nap!"

"Yes, a nap. Your body's recuperating from a massive infection and it needs rest. And if you start to argue with me, I'll have to leave right now." Amanda crossed her arms and used her 'mom' tone causing Lee to roll his eyes.

Reluctantly he gave in to her plan. She heated some soup and made him a sandwich from the groceries she'd brought over the day before, then shooed him off to take a shower while she did the dishes.

As the hot water poured over him, Lee admitted that it felt good to wash all traces of the hospital away. The scent of the place seemed to cling to everything and everyone who entered its confines. He lathered the soap in his hands and washed his face, neck and chest. While washing his arm, he moved his shoulder experimentally and decided it felt fine—there was no need for more physiotherapy. Maybe he could talk Amanda into letting him skip the sessions.

Ruefully, he smiled and shook his head. There was no chance of that. She was a bit of pit bull when it came to following doctor's orders. She wouldn't give up until he attended every single therapy session. It was nice though, having someone care about him. He washed his stomach and then his legs while remembering how concerned she had been about him while they awaited rescue.

At first, with her amnesia, Amanda had thought they were married. The ring they had used as part of their 'married couple' cover had still been on her finger and, in her muddled state, she'd assumed it was real. As a wife, she'd been very 'affectionate' and he'd been hard pressed to not respond to her overtly sexual gestures. One morning he'd even awoken to the feel of her hands trailing down his stomach and fondling him. Even now, just the thought of her warm hand touching him, was causing a response.

Her behaviour at the time had been hard to take in. He'd never really thought of Amanda as being sexually forward. Usually she was more shy and reserved but, apparently under the right circumstances, there was another side to her personality. He wondered if that side of her would re-emerge, now that they were back to civilization and finally away from the hospital. He hoped so. At the time, he hadn't wanted to take advantage of her, since he hadn't been sure that she really knew what she was doing. Now that they had declared their true feelings, he was looking forward to exploring a more physical relationship with her.

Lee suddenly realized that the water was starting to run cold. He'd been lost in thought and standing under the shower longer than he realized. Quickly, he rinsed the soap off and checked the wound on his thigh. The area was still tender but all signs of infection were now gone. He'd have a scar there though—another to add to the list of identifying marks on his body. If someone was ever going to impersonate him, they'd have a tough time pulling it off, if a physical exam was ever given. Replicating that many marks would be difficult.

Once he was dried off, Lee threw on an old pair of sweat pants and padded into the kitchen in search of Amanda. She was taking the last cup out of the dish rack and hadn't noticed him entering the room. Silently he crept up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

"Oh!" She squeaked in surprise as Lee nuzzled her neck.

"I followed all your orders," he whispered in her ear. "I ate my lunch and took my shower. Do I get a reward now?"

Amanda set the cup and dishcloth down. "Maybe a small one," she murmured tilting her head to the side to give him better access. Lee trailed kisses up and down her neck then nibbled her ear before turning her in his arms. Her eyes widened as she took in his bare chest. Lee smiled at the look on her face.

"You saw me like this when we were in the mountains. You even helped me wash up, remember?"

"Well, yes but..." Amanda blushed as she recalled her actions.

"But what?" He planted a kiss on the tip of her nose and her hands seemed to instinctively rise up and rest on his shoulders.

"Back then I thought..." Amanda's voice trailed off as her hands began to move across his shoulders and down his chest. His skin quivered under her gentle touch.

"You thought...?" He prompted, his eyes half closing as he focused on the sensations created by her exploring hands.

Her tongue flicked out to wet her lips and Lee followed its movements. "I thought we were married." Amanda's hands had reached his stomach and he inhaled sharply, causing the waistband of his track pants to slip slightly lower. Her thumbs dipped briefly into his navel, then traced the faint scattering of hair that could just be seen starting below, before working their way around his waist and finally settling in the small of his back.

Amanda looked up at him. "I thought all of this was familiar territory." She smiled at him impishly as her hands now began to work their way up his back, caressing every inch of exposed skin.

Lee cleared his throat. "I'm more than willing to let you explore until it really is familiar."

"Hmm—noble of you, to make such a sacrifice. " She trailed butterfly kisses across his collarbone and up his neck. Her teeth grazed his lower lip and then she sucked on it gently before drawing away. Lee caught her head in his hands and brought her mouth back to his. Softly they kissed, expressing their feelings through actions. Lips slid moistly against lips and tongues tangled as they became lost in the taste and feel of each other. Finally, Amanda leaned back, placing her hands on his chest and pushing him backwards, "Lee, we have to stop. You need your rest and I have to go..."

Lee tried pouting but Amanda just raised her eye brows at him. He decided to try a different tactic. "Are you sure you can't stay? I'd rest better if you were with me."

"I know you Scarecrow. If I was with you, you wouldn't be resting."

Lee grinned at the truth of her statement and wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. Then he sobered. "Amanda, I hope you to know that I'm not just trying to get you into bed. I love you and I—"

Amanda laid a finger across his lips. "I know, Lee. And I hope you know that I want to be with you. I'm not trying to keep you at a distance but you really do need to rest. And I really do need to get home and see the boys before they leave for their weekend away."

"Yeah, I know." Lee rested his forehead on hers for a moment. "And you're right—after that shower, I really am feeling tired and a nap sounds good." He took her hand and walked her to the door. "I'll get some rest while you do what you have to do. Give me a call when you're ready and we'll go pay a visit to our supposed 'friend' Marcus."

"Okay—it will probably be around six-thirty." Amanda reached up and cupped his face in her hands. "Get some sleep. I love you." She gave him a tender lingering kiss, then slipped out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Amanda hung up the phone and rubbed her head. She had just finished talking to Lee. He was picking her up in twenty minutes and they were going to go see Marcus. Whenever she thought of the man, she got a headache and that strange niggling feeling that she was forgetting something important would return. She stared around the kitchen and then wandered into the family room, looking around. Absentmindedly, she straightened the magazines on the end table. There was something she had to do or find. It was right on the edge of her memory but...She shook her head. It wouldn't come into focus. Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to remember what it was but it seemed the harder she tried to remember, the more elusive the memory became.

Sighing in frustration, she picked up her purse and stepped out of the house, locking the door behind her. Just an hour ago, Mother and the boys had left to visit Aunt Edna for the weekend, so she didn't have to make any awkward explanations, which was nice for a change. She hoped that, over the next few days, there would be time for Lee and herself to be together for a while. Free time was a precious commodity in her life.

The late summer weather was beautiful and she thought she'd wait on the porch for Lee. The air was warm but not stifling hot as it had been a few weeks ago. Children were playing on the sidewalk and riding bikes, their happy voices floating down the street. In the distance, someone was cutting their grass and the scent of a backyard BBQ was drifting by. Her flower beds were bursting with colour, due to her Mother's dedicated efforts and the white picket fence gleamed with a fresh coat of paint that had been applied last month.

As she sat, Amanda idly watched her neighbour across the street. Mrs. DeShaw weeded and watered her garden every night after supper except for Thursday when she went to Bingo with her sister. When the older woman looked Amanda's way, she raised her hand to wave but a white van slowly drove by just at that moment obscuring her view. Frowning, Amanda's eyes followed the progress of the van down the street. The driver had looked vaguely familiar...

Lee drove up as she tried to recall exactly what the driver had looked like and where she might have encountered him before.

"What's the matter?" Lee queried as she climbed into the silver sports car.

Amanda tried to smooth the frown from her face. "Nothing really. A van just drove by and I thought I recognized the driver but I can't quite place him."

"A new neighbour? Someone from one of your committees?"

"No...It isn't someone I know well. More like someone I've only briefly met. Oh well, it isn't important." She reached up and massaged her temples.

"Another headache?"

"Hmm—just a small one, nothing really. Don't worry about it." Amanda fastened her seatbelt and Lee pulled away from the curb. "I'll be happy to see Marcus and thank him in person for sending that rescue team. "

"Well, just remember—he might also be the reason we needed rescue in the first place. The whole thing might have been a set up."

"I find that hard to believe. He was so concerned when we were in the tent and that Frank person was hurting me. And don't forget, he pulled us out of the wreck and reset your shoulder."

"Resetting my shoulder probably gave him great pleasure if he's with the other side. It's the sort of thing a sadist would enjoy doing."

"Lee..." Amanda warned. "Don't have Marcus tried and convicted until we know the whole story."

"Hey, I always keep an open mind." Amanda was silent and after a moment, Lee looked her way. "You don't think I have an open mind?"

"Well," she hedged, "From the Agency's perspective, I guess you do. It's just that agents always seem to be looking for the bad in people and are more than willing to believe it on very fragile evidence. But when it comes to giving people the benefit of the doubt, they aren't nearly so accommodating."

"Agents see more of the bad side of life than most 'normal' people do. It's a survival skill. We're taught to expect the worst and to be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't happen. Unfortunately, pleasant surprises are few and far between."

"I suppose you're right. But I'd rather look for the good in people."

"And that's what makes you a valuable resource for the Agency. You see things in your own unique way. It's also why I need to stick close to you. You tend to wander into situations, oblivious to the potential dangers."

"I guess that's why Mr. Melrose thinks we make such a good team then, isn't it?" She reached across and squeezed his hand.

"I think we make a great team." Lee returned the squeeze and they continued to hold hands as they made their way across town to where Marcus lived.

Lee turned down the quiet residential street and Amanda looked around with interest. It was a tree lined avenue with small frame houses probably built in the late '40's or early '50's. She peered at each home, checking the house numbers: three-forty-four, three-forty-six, three-forty eight.... "There it is, Lee, number three-fifty."

The 'vette purred to a stop in front of Marcus' house. It was a small white home with a covered porch across the front. The grass was a little overgrown and the flowerbeds needed weeding but beyond that, it was unremarkable. Sheer curtains obscured a view of the interior but even so it appeared to be quiet. They exited the car and walked up to the front door.

Amanda rang the bell while Lee casually paced the length of the porch, glancing around at the surrounding houses. When there was no response to the bell, Amanda knocked briskly.

Lee tried to look in the window. "I don't think he's home."

"I think you're right." Amanda pulled open the screen door and blocked the view from the street, while Lee efficiently picked the lock. They had just opened the door when a voice sounded behind them.

"Yoo-hoo! Hello!"

They spun around and Lee quickly slipped the lock pick into his pocket. Amanda put on her friendliest smile and greeted the newcomer. "Hello."

A tiny elderly lady stood at the bottom of the steps staring up at them. She had a large packet of mail in her hands. "Are you friends of Marcus?"

"Ah—yes we are..." Lee began.

"Oh good." The woman interrupted Lee. "I'm Hazel Simms, his next door neighbour. Maybe he mentioned me?"

"Well..." Amanda began only to be cut off as the woman continued talking.

"Marcus is such a nice neighbour, such a good boy, always so helpful, trims my trees, takes my car for repairs—he's never too busy to help out, despite the odd hours he works. That's why, when he asks me if I can house sit for him now and then, I'm glad to return the favour. My grandson cuts his grass and I water the flowers and gather the mail. But, strangest thing, he said he'd be back early this week—Sunday or Monday at the latest—but he never came home. They've started to deliver his newspaper again but I'm not sure if I should call up and have them cancel it for another week or not. Do you think I should?"

Mrs. Simms finally paused for breath and Amanda jumped in. "Mrs. Simms, it is so kind of you to take such good care of Marcus' house for him. The fact is, he's been unexpectedly delayed on business and we were just stopping by to pick up a few things to send to him. If you'd like, we can take his mail from you and deliver it... you know—in case there are any bills that need paying."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. I saw that he has a water bill and a phone bill. Now I know the water bill can wait but the phone company...well, we don't want them mad at us do we? If you could give the bills to him it would be just grand, Mrs...?"

"Keane – Amanda Keane. And this is Lee Steadman. We work with Marcus."

"At that film place? Are you talent scouts, too?"

"Yes, we work with him but no, we're not talent scouts." Lee explained, taking the mail from Mrs. Simms.

"If you could just keep house sitting for Marcus for the rest of this week, I know he'd appreciate it." Amanda smiled at the elderly lady.

"And, if there are any problems with the house, you can contact us at this number." Lee handed her an IFF business card with his name on it.

"All right," Mrs. Simms studied the card for a moment. "Will you be seeing Marcus soon? "

"We certainly hope so," Amanda reassured her. "And when we do, we'll tell him that you are doing an excellent job of house-sitting."

Mrs. Simms beamed and toddled off down the walk. Lee and Amanda watched her until she entered the house next door.

"Lee, did you hear that? Marcus hasn't been back all week. He didn't even come home after the debriefing."

"Or he came home but it was during the night, so no one saw him." Lee cautiously opened the door and peered inside Marcus' home. He scanned the room before deeming it safe and entered, Amanda following close behind. She shut the door and they began to slowly look around.

The house had the stale smell that comes from having been closed up for an extended period of time. A thin film of dust lay on the furniture and an industrious spider had started to build a web on one of the lamp shades. Light streamed in through the gauzy curtains, highlighting the particles of dust that drifted through the air.

After a cursory glance around the room, Lee began to thumb through the mail. "Junk mail... more junk ...mail...magazine... water bill...ah-ha—phone bill! I'll take this in to Billy. He can run any numbers shown and see where that leads." He pocketed the bill and set the rest of the mail on a table beside the door.

While Lee had checked the mail, Amanda had slowly scanned the room. As her eyes passed over the table surfaces, she studied them carefully, then frowned. "Lee, someone's been here recently. Everything has a thin layer of dust on it, but there are marks in the dust, where things have been moved about a bit."

Lee glanced at the table tops and noted the streaked dust that Amanda was talking about. "I think you're right. Marcus did come back at night, just as I thought. Probably he grabbed a few things that he needed and took off."

"It could have been a burglar or someone searching for something."

"No—a burglar would have made a bigger mess. It's more likely that Marcus knew that he had left whatever he was looking for out in plain sight and just did a quick surface search, found what he needed, and left."

"I don't know Lee... I think something has happened to Marcus."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, he told Mrs. Simms he'd be back last weekend but he never contacted her to extend the house sitting or to have her cancel the newspaper for another week. If he was planning on being away, he would have done that."

"Or maybe he knew that the Agency would realize he'd turned and he's on the run. If he had no plans of ever returning, why would he care what happens to the house?"

"See – you're doing it all ready."

"Doing what?" Lee looked up from the drawer he was now rifling through and stared at Amanda in puzzlement.

"Being negative and close-minded."

"Amanda, I'm not being negative and I'm not close-minded."

"Then why assume Marcus is an agent gone bad? Why not consider other possibilities?"

"Because I'm realistic and I'm doing my job." Lee's voice reflected his exasperation. "One of our own has turned against us. There's nothing that can excuse that."

"But ..."

"That man is the reason we were captured in the first place. Remember how I got hit on the head? How that guard was...was... ' touching' you and then, how he roughed you up, hitting and kicking you? Marcus was in on that somehow, you know."

"Well, I know it looks that way..."

Lee snorted. "Looks that way? Amanda, it was that way and worse—we were shot at, for heaven's sake! We could have died in that crash. Riley knew we'd be coming, he already had a plan in place to sell me to the highest bidder. Marcus is the only person who could have him that information."

Lee shook his head, took a deep breath and then continued. "Amanda, in this business, there's no compromising—no matter what the circumstances. When you join the Agency, you swear an oath to uphold its principles. Every agent takes that oath and it's serious. When you're in the field you have two objectives. Number one is to complete your mission successfully by whatever means necessary. Number two is to keep your fellow agents safe. Marcus broke that oath. When an agent goes bad it makes everyone start to question the people they work with. As a field agent, you have to put your life in the hands of other people and you have to believe that they'll do everything in their power, short of compromising the mission, to keep you safe. If you don't have faith that they're watching your back and are one hundred percent committed to the cause, then you can't give your full concentration to the job. You start second guessing yourself and them—that's when agents make stupid mistakes and that's when people get killed." Lee's voice had become increasingly sharp and his words were spit out as if they left a bad taste in his mouth.

Amanda opened her mouth to speak but Lee shot her a hard look, his lips tight, his expression uncompromising. After a moment of silence he looked away, rubbed his neck and exhaled slowly, visibly trying to calm himself before speaking again.

"Listen, let's just agree to disagree. Either way Marcus isn't here and we need to look for some clues as to where he might be and what's going on between him and David Riley."

"Okay," Amanda answered softly. She took in the set look on Lee's face and let the topic drop. Either he wasn't feeling well or the thought of Marcus being a traitor really was upsetting him. Maybe it was a bit of both...

She volunteered to check out the kitchen and laundry while Lee looked in the bedroom and bathroom. From what she could see, Marcus was a very neat and organized person. Everything was where it should be. He'd emptied the fridge of perishables before leaving and there was no laundry waiting to be done. She checked out the kitchen drawers and cupboards. The glasses were lined up by size and the cups were all sitting with the handles facing the same direction. Amanda chuckled to herself thinking he obviously didn't have two small boys living with him.

Wandering back into the living room, Amanda stared enviously at the neat, orderly room. The pillows were carefully aligned on the sofa and the coffee table was exactly centred on the area rug. Books on the shelf were organized by size and a few pieces of sculpture were tastefully and symmetrically arranged. The only thing out of place was a slightly haphazard stack of magazines on the end table. With a sigh, Amanda realized her house would never be this calm and organized.

She saw two photos on the mantle and walked over to look more closely. One was Marcus with a woman and the other was a rather grainy snapshot of a baby. There was no inscription or date on the back of either.

"Lee?"

"Yeah?" he answered from the bedroom.

"Is Marcus married?"

"Not that I know of."

"Did he have a steady girl friend?"

"He might have but I'm not positive. He was pretty closed mouthed about his personal life and I didn't know him that well." Lee's voice became progressively louder as he returned to the living room. "What did you find?"

"These photos." She held them up for Lee to see, noting that he seemed to have calmed down and was in a better frame of mind. "I think he and this girl were pretty serious. This is his baby—see it has the same eyes as Marcus."

"Hmm—you could be right." Lee said noncommittally while studying the pictures for a minute before setting them back on the mantle. "You'd think someone at the Agency would know about it though. A man doesn't usually keep becoming a father a secret...unless he has something to hide."

"Or, unless there were negative repercussions. Would there be problems at the Agency if people knew about the baby?"

"Not that I can think of...Billy would probably give him a speech about settling down and taking less dangerous assignments but nothing would really change."

"I wonder where his girlfriend and the baby are now?"

"Good question – if that's even who they are. There's nothing in the bedroom or bathroom to suggest that anyone besides Marcus lives here."

"There was nothing in the kitchen either—not even a baby bottle or an infant spoon."

Lee looked around the room once more. "Well, I think that's all we're going to get out of this place. Let's call Billy from my apartment. We can tell him that Marcus' neighbour hasn't seen him all week and about the picture of the girl and the baby but there's really nothing here to prove his innocence."

"Or his guilt." Amanda gave Lee a hard stare before walking towards the door.

"Or his guilt," he repeated with a shake of his head.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lee had planned on heading back to his apartment for a romantic evening complete with a bottle of wine, candlelight and no more talk of Marcus but somehow had found himself on Amanda's sofa drinking coffee and eating poppy seed cake. They'd spent a companionable evening together but, much to Lee's chagrin, Amanda had sent him home after a very enjoyable but unsatisfying interlude on the couch.

"Lee, it sounds trite but I really do have a headache and you're just out of the hospital today." She'd brushed his hair from his forehead and gazed up at him with her big brown eyes. Her hair had been mussed while her lips were red and plump from his kisses. Standing, she'd held out her hand and he had taken it, allowing himself to be led to the door. "Go home and get some rest. I'll call you first thing in the morning," she'd said with a kiss.

Lee had put up only a token protest. He wouldn't have admitted it to anyone but he was feeling rather worn out and didn't think he had the stamina for a night of love-making. His shoulder and leg were both tired and sleeping in his own bed seemed very appealing after a week on that slab that the hospital passed off as a mattress. A good night's rest was what he needed and then he'd be back to his old self.

He drove home and let himself into the apartment, throwing his coat over the back of a chair. A faint crinkling sound met his ears and he realized that he'd forgotten to tell Billy about the phone bill. Curious, he carefully opened it and scanned the contents. No activity for the past three weeks which made sense. The man had been away undercover. Then the week before he left, there were several out of area calls. Each had been very brief as if only a short message had been delivered. Hmm...he wondered what that was all about? Oh well, he'd let Billy figure it out. Right now he was tired and wanted to go to bed.

He slept soundly for most of the night only awakening once near morning when erotic dreams of Amanda had invaded his mind. They'd been back at the stream near where the helicopter had crashed. Amanda had walked towards him and kissed him hungrily but this time, he hadn't called a stop to it. Instead they'd sunk to the ground, his wounds magically disappearing. He'd stroked her lovingly and in response, her hands and mouth had roamed all over him...Then, he woke up.

A cold shower had been an unsatisfying but effective solution to the condition in which the dream had left him. Unable to fall back asleep, Lee had made himself a pot of coffee and watched TV while waiting for Amanda to call. Last night they had decided to return to Marcus' house and ask his neighbour, Mrs. Simms about the girlfriend and the baby in the photograph. Lee replayed the conversation in his mind...

*****

"Mrs. Simms would know if Marcus was involved with someone. From her house, she has a great view of his place. We can ask her about it tomorrow." Amanda had poured them each a coffee and then added a splash of cream to his before handing it to him.

"Okay – with Marcus on the run, we'll need any lead we can get in order to track him down."

"Lee, I really don't think he's on the run—there has to be another explanation. A man with a family wouldn't just run off without a word." Amanda had insisted while cutting them both slices of cake.

"Maybe they split up," he suggested. "Or maybe the picture is of Marcus' sister and his nephew. We can't just assume Marcus was part of a happy little family."

"Well, we need to check it out, just to be sure. Poor Marcus..."

"Poor Marcus? The man's involved with David Riley. He's the reason we were nearly killed."

"We don't know that for sure."

"Amanda, his account of events doesn't match yours or mine. As much as I hate to think a fellow agent has gone bad, all the evidence points to that conclusion." Lee had had an awful feeling that the conversation would be a repeat of the one they had earlier. He really hadn't wanted to spend the evening arguing about Marcus' guilt and hoped Amanda would give him the opportunity to steer the conversation in another direction. In the end, she did it for him.

"You know Lee, I've been thinking. You were unconscious for part of the time and I still have this feeling that I'm forgetting something—maybe I'm forgetting overhearing Riley talking about selling you to the highest bidder. Dr. Pfaff said traumatic events can cause memory loss and just the thought of you being sold to the Russians or the Chinese is making me feel queasy—"

"I wasn't too crazy about the idea myself but it didn't give me amnesia. I think you're really stretching things with that idea, Amanda."

"Lee, I love you. Anything that might hurt you, hurts me. If something awful like that happened, I don't know what I'd do..." Amanda had actually become teary, wrapping her arms tightly around him as if she would never let him go. Lee had cradled her in his arms and after that, Marcus and David Riley had been forgotten for quite awhile.

*****

Lee realized that the movie he was watching was over and flipped to the early morning news. International events came first: war in the Middle East, famine in Africa, earthquake in South America...he made mental notes of each in case the Agency was drawn into any of the situations. Weather and a traffic update came next, then local news.

A report on a break-in at a local pawn shop caught his attention. He'd been there before—the Agency used it as a drop. Reaching for his coffee, he took another sip, then suddenly sat up straight, staring intently at the screen. As the camera had slowly panned the area around the pawn shop, Lee was sure he'd seen Marcus in the crowd. He willed the camera to swing back but the report ended and moved onto the opening of a new exhibit at the zoo.

Setting down his coffee, Lee reached for the phone and called Billy to report his suspicions. Billy would be able to get a copy of the tape from the local TV station and could check if it really was Marcus. If it did prove to be the missing agent, why was he still in the area? An agent that's turned wouldn't stick around—the chances of being seen were too great. Lee puzzled over this. The visit to Mrs. Simms' suddenly seemed a lot more urgent.

It was nearly ten o'clock by the time Lee and Amanda left the Agency to head to Marcus' home. They'd stopped by the office to give Billy the phone bill and to view the news clip that Lee had seen. It could be Marcus in the picture, but if it was, he was looking rather the worse for wear. Billy was hoping their visit to Mrs. Simms would shed some light on the situation. If Marcus was a traitor, they needed to bring him in quickly before he left the area, yet the section chief was reluctant to do so.

"My gut is telling me to hold off," he said to Lee. "And if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's to trust my gut."

Amanda had beamed at this statement. "I know what you mean, Sir. I think Marcus is innocent too!"

"Maybe not innocent, Amanda." The older man had cautioned. "But I think there's more here than meets the eye." He scanned the phone bill, then refolded it and tapped it in his hand. "These calls are all to the same number and only a minimum charge each time – it could be a brief coded message."

"Maybe he's calling his girl friend. If they had a fight, he might be trying to patch things up. If she's not ready to listen, she could be hanging up on him each time. " Amanda's theory was met with a nod from Mr. Melrose.

"It could be. You two keep nosing around. See what you can get from the neighbour and then report back."

"Umm—Billy? I'm still off the duty roster—recuperating, remember?" Lee had added, knowing that his free time with Amanda was disappearing before his very eyes.

"I know. That's why I've given you the job—it's an unofficial investigation, done on your own time. Totally off the books. Don't worry, Lee." Billy had reassured him with a smirk. "I know Amanda will make sure you don't miss your physiotherapy sessions."

"Thanks," he'd replied sarcastically.

*******

As they pulled up in front of Marcus' house, Amanda noticed that Mrs. Simms was in her front yard gardening. "Why don't you let me do the talking?" She suggested. "I think I might be able to get more out of Mrs. Simms than you would."

"Sounds good to me. Class C interrogations are your forte not mine."

Amanda beamed at the compliment and they exited the car. As she walked towards Mrs. Simms' house, she observed Lee out of the corner of her eye. The sun was glinting off of his hair as he leaned negligently against the fender of the 'vette, his hands tucked into his back pockets. His shirt was pulled taut across his chest, outlining the impressive musculature of his body. His jeans fit snugly and Amanda allowed her eyes to run up his long legs to his powerful thighs and then paused briefly at the intriguing bulge...Suddenly her toe caught on the uneven sidewalk and she had to catch herself. Behind her, she heard Lee give a chuckle and she felt her cheeks flush. 'Darn him-he knew I was checking him out. He probably posed that way on purpose!" she fumed to herself.

Forcing herself to concentrate on the job at hand, she fixed a bright smile on her face and walked up to the fence that enclosed the neighbour's front yard. "Hello, Mrs. Simms! Beautiful day for gardening isn't it?"

The older lady looked up, smiled in recognition and came over to chat. "Yes it is, Mrs. Keane."

"Please, call me Amanda."

"All right Amanda. Are you a gardener? "

"Oh, I do a bit but my mother has the real green thumb in the family."

"Gardening is my main hobby. The neighbours claim they can set their watches by me. I garden from ten until eleven o'clock every morning then from two until three every afternoon and, if it isn't my bingo night, I'm out after supper."

"You sound just like my neighbour across the street, Mrs. DeShaw." Amanda gestured towards Marcus' house. "We just came back for a few things. Marcus called last night and gave us a list. He also said to thank you for continuing to care for his home and he's sorry he forgot to call you about the change in plans. He's working in a remote location and the phone lines aren't very reliable."

"Oh, it's all right. You film people certainly lead an exciting life—going off here and there at a moment's notice. I've often wondered if the irregular hours are what caused the problem between Marcus and Susan."

"Susan?"

"Yes, Susan Riley. His ex-girlfriend."

"Susan Riley!" Amanda quickly looked over her shoulder at Lee and raised her eye brows before turning back to Mrs. Simms, carefully composing her face to show mild curiosity rather than the avid interest she felt. "So Marcus and Susan Riley are still split?"

"I think so. Marcus never talks much about his personal life but for awhile, Susan was always over there. Then when she got 'in the family way' I was sure there would be wedding bells but suddenly, she didn't come around anymore. He didn't say anything, but I could tell Marcus was really broken up by it. It's such a shame—he's a nice young man." Mrs Simms shook her head sadly and looked on the verge of tears.

"Yes, I know what you mean. " Amanda agreed and patted the older woman on the shoulder. "Now don't get yourself all worked up. Sometimes these little spats work themselves out. If Marcus and Susan are meant to be together, it will happen."

Mrs. Simms blinked rapidly and sniffled. "I hope so. I guess I'm just a sentimental old fool but they were such a nice couple and Susan was so sweet—not like that brother of hers. I only spoke to him once but right away I took a dislike to the man—strange how that happens sometimes, isn't it?"

"Susan's brother came to visit?"

"Uh-huh, but just near the end of their relationship – not that I'm watching all of the time, mind you but in the front yard here, I have a pretty good view of who comes and goes in the neighbourhood. I think her brother's name was David. I guess with Marcus and Susan getting serious, he thought they should meet but barely a month later, they had broken up." Mrs. Simms sighed. "It's such a shame—those two were meant for each other. I can tell when people belong together." She leaned towards Amanda and whispered conspiratorially. "Just like you and that man behind you. I see you don't have a ring on. Divorced?"

Amanda nodded and shrugged a bit awkwardly.

"Don't you fret. That one behind you—he's a keeper."

Feeling a blush creeping over her face, she quickly ended the conversation. "Well, thank you for your time. We'd better get going and pick up those items that Marcus wanted." She turned and walked up to the house, Lee following behind.

Once inside, Amanda turned to Lee. "Susan Riley?"

"And a brother named David."

"I hate to admit it Lee, but this doesn't look good for Marcus."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Amanda walked over to the mantel and picked up the two photos and stared at them sadly. "Marcus is involved with David Riley's sister and they had a baby together—that poor couple. I wonder if Susan knew what her brother was involved in? And did Marcus tell Susan about his real job? And why did they split up before the baby was born?"

"Amanda, the whole thing was probably a set up. Riley sent his sister in to hook up with Marcus and once he was caught, Riley reeled him in and the sister took off to catch the next sucker. It was a classic honey trap."

"A what?"

"A honey trap. Recruitment involving sexual seduction. What I mean is Susan's only interest in Marcus was to swing him over to Riley's side. Once he fell for her, she introduced him to Riley and Marcus joined up with them."

"Oh I don't know... She did have his baby. A woman isn't going to do that for someone she doesn't care about."

"You'd be surprised by what some people will do. Maybe Marcus was resistant at first and she had to apply more of an incentive- up the ante so to speak."

"I suppose...but Susan looks like such a nice girl. And Mrs. Simms said she was sweet."

"Mrs. Simms is a nice old lady who sees the world through rose coloured glasses. If the bad guys all looked like bad guys, they wouldn't have such a success rate. Being a 'nice, sweet girl' is the perfect cover for getting to someone. Never trust anyone that seems too good to be true."

"Lee, that is so cynical."

"Amanda it's the truth. If Susan was really in love with Marcus, then where is she now? The only evidence of Susan or a baby being part of a 'happy little family' is what Mrs. Simms has told us. You have to face the facts, Amanda. She's flown the coop and left Marcus hanging out to dry."

Amanda opened her mouth to respond but Lee continued on with his theories.

"Or here's the other possibility. Marcus has been part of Riley's group all along—our background checks do miss things occasionally. Maybe they grew up together or went to the same college. Marcus could have met Susan through his connections with Riley. Right now, Susan could be safely waiting somewhere for Marcus to finish his latest job with Riley and then they'll hook up again. Maybe the supposed 'break up' was just for show. Marcus was a smart agent. He probably knew Mrs. Simms kept an eye on him and wanted to make sure she was thrown off track in case the Agency ever came nosing around."

"Well...when you put it like that, I guess those do seem like logical explanations."

Lee continued on in a gentler vein. "I'm sorry if it seems like I keep knocking down all your ideas. It's just that sometimes you—"

"See the world through rose coloured glasses." She finished the sentence for him. "Me and Mrs. Simms, huh? It's okay Lee. You're right. People are capable of doing awful things to each other and I have to stop hiding from that fact. I need to toughen up a bit, if I'm ever going to become a full agent. "

"But not too tough." Lee pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm kind of used to you the way you are."

"Thanks." She kissed him back and then stepped away. "I guess we should go and report what we found to Billy."

"Yeah. With what we found out this morning, he'll have to send out some trackers to bring Marcus in. Associating with Riley's sister is another nail in his coffin."

As they walked out of the house, Amanda winced in pain. "Ooh!"

"What's the matter?"

"Another headache...this one really hurts."

"Maybe you should go to the doctor again."

"No—Dr. Pfaff says there's nothing wrong. I haven't been sleeping well lately so that could be the cause. Maybe you could just drop me off at home. I'll take some Tylenol and lay down for awhile. That should help."

"Sure. I'll take you home and then go see Billy." Lee helped her into the car.

"Before you see Billy, you need to go to your physiotherapy session at eleven thirty."

"I'll just skip it for today—Billy really needs this information..."

"Lee Stetson, you will go to your therapy appointment."

"Amanda..."

"Lee—it's for your own good. You need to work the muscles that were damaged when you dislocated that shoulder. Promise me you'll go." She looked up at him with her most pleading eyes and smiled inwardly as she saw him melt.

"All right but only because you have a headache and I don't want you fussing and worrying."

"Thank you." She gave him a peck on the cheek then leaned back in the seat, rubbing her temple. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a white van pulling away from the curb. "Lee, do you see that van behind us."

Lee glanced back, "Yeah it's right behind us...oh, no it's not. It just turned. Why? Did it look suspicious?"

"No, I guess not. It just reminded me of the one that went by my house last night but there are probably hundreds of white vans in Arlington. It didn't follow us, so it was probably just a coincidence."

"Hmm—probably. I'll keep a look out as we head back to your place. If I see it again, we'll try and get the plates, just in case."

They made it back to Amanda's house with no sign of the white van and she laughed at her own foolishness, teasing Lee about the fact that his paranoia was rubbing off on her. He rephrased her statement, calling it Survival Skills 101 – be aware of everyone around you and doubt everything.

After reminding Lee of his promise to go to the physiotherapist, she watched him drive away then stood for a moment admiring her front garden. Turning to enter the house, Amanda noticed that a white van had just parked down the street. It looked similar to the one that had been at Marcus' this morning but she wasn't quite sure... Squinting she tried to see the driver but the angle of the sun kept her from getting a clear view. She bit her lip for a moment, wondering if could be following her but then shook her head. There was no reason for anyone to be watching an Arlington housewife.

She stood for a moment staring at the van, considering possibilities. Quite likely, one of her neighbours was getting some repair work done and a lot of workmen used a white van. The emblem for the company was probably on the far side. Hadn't her mother mentioned something about the Nelson's getting a new hot water heater? Or maybe it had been some electrical work...

Amanda was ashamed to admit it, but she didn't always listen that carefully to her Mother when she prattled on about the various neighbours. There'd been a time when Maplewood Drive had been her whole world but, since meeting Lee and working at the Agency, the comings and goings of the neighbourhood weren't as fascinating as they used to be.

Yes, it was probably just a worker's van but, just in case, she made note of the license plate. First she'd have her rest, and then, if the van was still there, she'd phone it into the Agency. Francine would likely make fun of her. After all, who would want to watch a suburban housewife? Now, if it was Lee calling, it would be a different response entirely. He was a real agent and the bad guys were after him all the time...

Her head throbbed again, reminding her of why she was at home and not with Lee, ensuring he went to his physiotherapy session. Turning, she went inside and jotted down the license plate number for the van, then went in search of some medication.

After taking two Tylenol, Amanda made her way upstairs to her bedroom. She closed the blinds and lay down on the bed. Lately, her sleep had been punctuated with recurring memories of their past case and she often awoke feeling more tired than when she'd gone to bed. Shifting restlessly, she plumped the pillows while the content of the dreams came flooding back to her.

On a few occasions the dreams had been pleasantly erotic. She was back in the little lean-to shelter kissing Lee awake. Her fingers trailed down his stomach and then, in her dream, she boldly reached lower. Lee groaned in pleasure as she kissed her way up and down his body. Lee caressed her as well. The feel of his strong hands on her skin was an exquisite torture. She trembled with need....And that was when she always woke up. It left her feeling restless and thoroughly unsatisfied. Still, it was preferable to the other dreams.

More often than not, she dreamt about the crash or being captured and tied up in the tent with Marcus while Lee was unconscious on the ground. Last night had been more vivid than most and she'd awoken several times drenched in sweat with only a hazy recollection of the contents of the dream. Each time there was the urgent need to do something but she could never remember what.

Forcing her mind to go blank, she concentrated on resting. The pillow was soft and cool under her head and the tension began to fade. She could feel her whole body relaxing. Closing her eyes, she listened to the clock ticking on the bedside table. Her legs and arms felt heavy and her breathing became slower. Sleep was just around the corner. With a sigh, she gave in to its beckoning call.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The dream started as it always did. She was in a dimly lit tent sitting on a hard wooden box. The air was hot and stuffy with the smell of stale smoke, oil and sweat. Humidity added to the oppressive atmosphere and the faint rumble of thunder in the distance brought only a faint hope of relief from the weather.

On the other side of the tent she could see Lee lying on the ground. A dark reddish stain was slowly spreading across the dirt floor as blood dripped from a cut on his head. He was only a few feet away but she couldn't reach him. Was he dead? She stared intently at his chest, trying to see if it was moving but her eyes wouldn't cooperate. Waves of fear washed over her and she had to force herself to breathe slowly.

Amanda looked around and focused on the other occupant of the tent. The man was sweating profusely, his dark hair stuck to his forehead. There was a look of panic in the man's eyes and he was talking urgently to her. Licking her dry lips, she swallowed and tried to focus on what he was saying but her heart was pounding in her ears. It was so hot and she desperately wanted a drink. Her side ached and the faintly metallic taste of blood crept across her mouth. Using her tongue, she gently probed the cut in the corner of her lip. Where had that come from? Oh yes, the guard had slapped her. Maybe that was why everything seemed to be sort of fuzzy...

"Amanda, Amanda! You have to listen to me." The man's voice penetrated her consciousness. "Come on Amanda, concentrate on me. I know you're hurting and scared from what he did to you but don't give in to it. I need you to stay with me. Look at me, listen to my voice."

She looked his way and blinked several times. His face swam in and out of focus. Trying again, she gave her head a little shake in an attempt to clear her vision. He seemed to have multiple faces that danced about, overlapping then separating like a kaleidoscope. Staring intently at his eyes, she found she was able to integrate the images together into one.

"Lee? Is he all right? He's bleeding..."

"Yeah, I think so. He's still breathing."

Closing her eyes, she offered a quick prayer of thanks.

"Amanda! Open your eyes. I have to talk to you...You're not going to pass out, are you? "

"No...I won't pass out. I'm listening Marcus. What do you need to tell me?" Her voice sounded funny to her ears—almost slurred. She swallowed again, her tongue feeling thick and dry in her mouth. Furrowing her brow, she forced herself to focus on the other man's voice.

"Amanda—this is complicated so just listen. I'm sorry I got you into this mess but I'm going to try to fix it. We don't have a lot of time until the guard comes back and I want to explain everything to you before Lee wakes up. He's Agency and might not understand but I know you will."

"Okay." She nodded while shifting about trying to find a comfortable position. Her whole body ached and she wished she could just curl up in a little ball. The rope that tied her hands behind her back was rough and her wrists felt raw from struggling to free herself. As sweat trickled down her arms, it landed on the broken skin and stung. Marcus was speaking again and she tried to listen to what he was saying in the hopes of taking her mind off of her discomfort.

"... I met this girl, Susan Riley. She worked as a waitress at a local bar. We went out together a few times and one thing led to another." Marcus shrugged. "When I found out she was pregnant, I wanted to get married—she was the best thing that had ever happened to me—but she said we should wait until after the baby was born, just to be sure. I hadn't told her about my real job yet but, if we were getting married, I figured she should know the truth. Once she found out, she got really quiet and said there was a problem because of her family. That's when I found out that her brother was David Riley. I hadn't dealt with him before but I'd read his file. I knew what he was and the type of things he was involved in."

"Susan said we just shouldn't say anything to David and I agreed to 'look the other way.' It was a stupid thing to do but at the time, I couldn't think of anything else. Somehow though, David found out about me—that I was a Federal agent—and started to come around to the house. Both Susan and I told him to stay away—she didn't have a lot to do with him anyway and usually only saw him once or twice a year. But David had other plans. If we were going to be 'family' he wanted me to keep the heat off of him, maybe even do a bit of work for him. I said no and if he asked again, I'd turn him in."

"That's when everything fell apart. David lied and told Susan that I was joining forces with him. She was so upset that she wouldn't even listen to me and just left. Susan had spent her whole life trying to rise above her background and the very thought of me entering that murky world devastated her. I called and called but she wouldn't even talk to me. David had helped her relocate and wouldn't tell me where. Then, one day he showed up with a picture of our baby. I had a son. He said if I ever wanted to see Susan or the baby again, I had to cooperate. When I refused, he started to threaten that he'd harm them and, knowing his reputation, I wouldn't put it past him."

"For the past few weeks, when I've supposedly been undercover 'infiltrating' this group of illegal arms dealers, I've actually been part of them, feeding bogus information to the Agency in exchange for my family's safety. But, at the same time, I've also been spying on Riley. I think I know where Susan and the baby are. I also have tapes and documents that outline David's activities and prove he's been blackmailing me. It might not be enough evidence to exonerate me in court but it will put Riley away and at least Susan will be safe. "

"Marcus, I don't know what to say...I can see that you'd want to protect Susan and the baby but you should have told Mr. Melrose. He'd have helped..."

"Maybe or maybe not. Susan is David Riley's sister. To the Agency, she's probably tarred with the same brush and the fact that I was hooked up with her wouldn't look good. I didn't dare chance it."

"I suppose I might have done the same thing ..."Amanda shook her head and was silent for a moment. David's tale had taken her mind off of her own discomfort for awhile but now she was considering their present circumstances again. "So, if you've been working for Riley, what went wrong? Why didn't you just take your information and leave? Why are you tied up with us and why are you telling me all of this?"

"Why didn't I leave? Because Riley watches me like a hawk. I've managed to sneak the information out in the mail but I can't get out myself. And why am I tied up? "He laughed ruefully. "It's supposed to be part of an elaborate ruse. After this next shipment of arms, Riley plans to break away from this group and move onto bigger things. When I told him that I'd be meeting Scarecrow today, he decided that Lee was the ticket. He set things up so that, to the Agency, it would look like my cover was blown when Riley stumbled upon Scarecrow meeting with me. I'm supposed to 'escape' and go back to the Agency as a mole but Scarecrow won't be so lucky. Riley plans to sell him to the highest bidder."

"Sell Lee!"

"Yeah—Scarecrow's got enough high level information in his head, that he'd fetch a good price on the open market. Then, once Riley had established himself as an information source on the international stage, he was going to use me to gain access to other agents and sell them as well."

"But why did he pretend to 'capture' you and not just grab Lee?"

"To make it look 'real' just in case. He wanted to ensure that I'd still be creditable and of use to him on the inside."

"Oh...but what changed your mind? I mean, you've fallen in with Riley's other plans."

"Because, believe it or not, I still have some scruples left. Feeding bogus information was one thing—no one was really being hurt. But I can't stand by and let Riley sell Scarecrow. The people who 'buy' agents want the information in the man's head and don't care how they get it. Drugs, torture..." Riley shook his head grimly. "Even if the agent survives and is eventually traded back, he's just a shell—"

Amanda shuddered at the thought of Lee being subjected to such treatment. Images raced through her mind of his scarred and beaten body strapped to a chair, while shadowy figures yelled at him, striking his face repeatedly until he slumped forward almost unconscious. They grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head back. Bruises marked his cheek bones and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. His beautiful hazel eyes stared blankly ahead, while someone pulled the sweat soaked sleeve of his shirt out of the way and injected drug after drug into his veins... Bile rose in her throat and she felt herself growing faint at the thought of people destroying Lee just to get at information in his head...Pushing the horrific idea away, she realized that Marcus was still talking.

"...someone besides me needs to know the truth in case we all don't make it out of here. You have to make it back and get the evidence I have hidden and then tell Susan the truth for me. "

"But how are you going to set us free? You're tied up here too."

"The original plan Riley concocted has our evening meal being drugged. I'm supposed to just act like I'm eating, then while you two are knocked out, he'll transport you to a new location to await a 'sale.' My story was to be that I managed to slip unnoticed out of the truck. Riley doesn't think I'd dare to double cross him and warn you but I have surprise for him. Tonight, when the food comes, none of us will eat, we'll just dump it behind one of these crates and pretend to be drugged. When he comes back, it will be a surprise attack. It isn't a sure thing but it's the best plan I can come up with on such short notice. Riley only told me about it yesterday."

"It might work and maybe we'll all make it. Then you can tell Susan yourself."

"No, she won't want to see me and, if I do escape, Riley will be after me. So will the Agency for that matter. It won't take them long to figure out I've been working with him."

"Lee can talk to Mr. Melrose—"

"No. Scarecrow's Agency through and through—objective, unemotional, not attached to anyone. He'd never understand why I did this."

Amanda was silent for a moment. She couldn't deny that was the Scarecrow persona most people knew but underneath...well, now wasn't the time to go into that. "All right Marcus, where is this information? And how will I find Susan?"

"All the information is in a post office box in Arlington. Get the evidence and tell Susan the truth, then turn it over to the Agency for me. I want to make sure that Riley is put away. Oh and the key is in my living room in plain sight—"

Marcus stopped mid-sentence as a voice outside the tent suddenly called out.

"Riley, what are you doing over there by that tent?"

"Mr. Vanderpelt! I was just—"

"Get over here Riley. I don't give a rat's ass what you're doing. I don't trust you and I want you where I can see you. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir. But you must know that I'm loyal to your cause and—"

"Loyal? Riley, you ain't loyal to anyone but yourself. You think I don't know you're in this for the money? You'll stab me in the back just as soon as you can. If I didn't need your connections, I'd have shot you weeks ago."

The voices faded. Marcus looked at Amanda fearfully. "Crap—Riley's probably overheard at least part of our conversation. We have to get out of here fast, before he comes back."

"But Marcus, what was that all about? Who's Vanderpelt?"

"He's the leader of this group. He and Riley have an uneasy alliance and only because of me. Riley controls me and I've kept the Feds away so Vanderpelt has been able to do business undisturbed."

"But—"

"Just leave it Amanda. We need to keep working on these ropes and trying to get out of here before Riley or that guard returns."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

With a start, Amanda woke up. She remembered. Marcus, the tent, the evidence hidden in the post office box... Swinging her legs out of bed, she quickly stood then swayed dizzily for a moment. Her head pounded furiously as a vision of Lee being beaten and drugged swam before her eyes. Sitting back down, she forced herself to breathe calmly and gather her wits about her.

She'd totally forgotten that whole conversation in the tent. When Marcus had talked about what could happen to Lee, she'd been horrified and had pushed the idea away. Apparently, she'd also locked away the surrounding conversation as well. For some reason, today the memory had returned.

As she sat steadying herself, she sorted through the information she'd recalled. Lee had been right—Marcus was a traitor but not exactly a willing one. Somewhere out there his girl friend and baby were in danger from David Riley. What would Riley do? Would he be hunting for Marcus in the hopes of keeping him under his thumb with threats? Would he actually hurt his sister and her baby? And what about Marcus? Had he already retrieved the information and was on his way to see Susan with it? No—not likely. Marcus had been quite adamant that Susan wouldn't see him and that Amanda needed to approach her...and Lee thought he'd seen Marcus in that news report. If it was Marcus, why was he still in the area and what was he doing?

Amanda felt more and more confused the longer she thought about it. Well, sitting here wasn't accomplishing anything. She'd try to get up again and then see about finding that post office box key. Experimentally she stood up and was relieved that the headache had subsided and the room was now steady.

'Maybe now that I've remembered, the headaches will be gone." she mused to herself. She certainly felt better and the annoying sensation of something niggling at the edge of her consciousness seemed to have vanished as well. Feeling more at ease than she had in days, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

Checking the clock, she saw that it was just after two in the afternoon. Lee would be done with his therapy session by now. He had been going to stop in and see Billy but should be home by now. She called the apartment but he wasn't there, so she left a brief message instead.

"Hi Lee! It's Amanda. It's two o'clock. I've finally remembered what I forgot. I know the truth about Marcus and I'm heading over to his house. Meet me there."

Next she tried his car phone but got no response. Should she call the Agency? Lee might still be there even though he was officially off the duty roster...She'd have to be careful what she said if she did call as this was an unofficial investigation ...Picking up the phone, she decided she'd only tell Mr. Melrose.

"Hello, Francine Desmond speaking. How may I help you?"

"Oh...Hello, Francince. It's Amanda. I was hoping to speak to Mr. Melrose. Is he there?"

"No, I'm afraid he isn't. He's in a high level security meeting and I'm just in his office gathering some papers for him. Can I take a message?"

"Well, can you tell him that I've remembered something important? And I'm going to the house of that friend we were talking about."

"I'll write it down Amanda. I'm sure he'll find this fascinating information." Amanda could hear the sarcasm dripping from Francine's voice and sighed.

"Thanks Francine. Oh, by the way, is Lee still there? "

"No I haven't seen him at all today. He's off duty, remember? Listen is there anything else? Billy's waiting for these papers."

"No, I guess not...but, if you do see Lee can you tell him the same message that I left for Mr Melrose?"

"Sure Amanda. You've remembered and you're visiting a friend. Now I really have to go."

The phone went dead and Amanda slowly set it down. She hoped Francine told Billy the message correctly. Mr. Melrose was the boss though. He'd know what the cryptic message meant. Biting her lip, she wondered if she should wait for Lee or Mr. Melrose to call but then decided against it. A week had already passed since they'd escaped from David Riley. The sooner the evidence against the man was given to the Agency, the sooner Marcus and his family would be safe. All she had to do was go to Marcus' house and get the key. What could be simpler than that? Then she'd get the evidence and take it to Susan. After that, it would be in the Agency's hands.

Grabbing her purse, she hurried out of the house, then slid to a stop. The van was still there and she'd forgotten to tell Francine to check the license plate. Turning around, she quickly went inside and called Francine. After half a dozen rings, her answering machine came on.

"You've reached the desk of Francine Desmond. I'm unable to come to the phone right now but if you leave your name and number, I will get back to you."

Amanda waited for the tone then spoke. "Hi Francine, it's me, Amanda again. Can you check this licence plate for me? CDA 6975 it's a white van that I've seen several times—probably nothing important but just check it, please. Thanks. Oh and tell Mr. Melrose or Lee if anything does comes up on it. Bye."

Satisfied that she'd dealt with that little problem, she headed over to Marcus' house. As she drove along, she checked periodically to see if the van was following her. Once she thought she saw it but then it turned onto a side street. 'This is ridiculous,' she thought to herself. 'There are hundreds of white vans in the area. I'm starting to jump at shadows.' With a shake of her head, she needlessly drove around several blocks just to ensure that she wasn't being tailed. No white van appeared and with a rueful laugh, she proceeded on her way to Marcus' house.

As she pulled into his driveway, she saw Mrs. Simms outside working in her yard. It was two-thirty. 'She's right,' Amanda thought. 'You can set your watch by when she's out in the garden.' With a friendly wave in the older lady's direction, Amanda scurried up the walk. Pulling out her lock-pick, she went to work and smiled in satisfaction as the tumblers fell into place.

Slipping into the house, Amanda looked around. Marcus had said the key was hidden in plain sight but he'd never finished the sentence because they'd heard Riley outside the tent. Hmm...Plain sight. She looked on the bookshelf and table tops. Maybe the pictures? Carefully she removed them from their frames but there was nothing there. Walking around the room, she checked every obvious place but didn't find the key.

Placing her hands on her hips she stood in the centre of the room and slowly turned, examining each inch critically. The room was incredibly neat and tidy. Everything was organized and in its proper place, almost fanatically so. Her eyes fell on the pile of magazines sitting on the end table. "I wondered why someone who keeps such an orderly house would leave magazines sitting out in a messy pile like that? I guess it just goes to show that no one is perfect." she said out loud.

"A very truthful statement. I've said it myself, many times." Someone spoke behind her and Amanda spun around to see a man standing silhouetted in the doorway. In his hand, he held a gun and it was pointed her way.

"Mrs. King, it's good to see you again. Though I should be chiding you on your manners. Last time we were together, you left so abruptly, without even saying good-bye. It was rather rude, you know."

"Do I know you?"

"You don't remember me? I'm crushed." The man said with feigned hurt. He walked closer and as he came further into the room, Amanda was able to see his features more clearly. Thinning blonde hair topped a pale face with eyes of such a light grey that they were almost colourless. He was of average build and dressed in nondescript denim but exuded a cold ruthlessness that caused her to shiver. She retreated from his approaching form until her knees made contact with the sofa and she sat down abruptly.

"You look familiar...Oh! You're the man in the van. And I've heard your voice before...?" She searched her memory trying to recall where she had previously encountered him.

"I suppose there were a number of people milling about at the time and you were worried about your partner..."

"David Riley!" Amanda gasped as she finally placed the face and voice. He'd been standing near Marcus when she and Lee had arrived at the original meeting spot. She recalled the satisfied smile on his face when Lee had been struck. "You were there when Lee and I were forced to surrender to save Marcus..."

"Correct. Though Marcus wasn't really in any danger since he was working for me all along."

"What?" Amanda tried to act surprised at this statement. "Marcus wasn't working for you. He's a Federal agent."

"Oh come now, Mrs. King. Playing dumb doesn't work with me. I was outside that tent. I heard every word of Marcus' confession to you. I also heard that he has some information about me. I need it back before it falls into the wrong hands."

"I don't know what you're talking about. "

Riley grabbed Amanda's wrist and pulled her up off of the couch. He pushed his face into hers. "Don't lie to me Mrs. King. You wouldn't like what I do to people who lie to me."

His face was so close that Amanda could see his pores. His dull grey eyes bored into hers and she could feel his breath on her face. She swallowed hard. "I don't know—Ahhh! "

Grabbing a handful of hair, he pulled her head back. "Yes, you do." Riley stared down at her for a moment then suddenly transferred his grip from her hair to her arm and twisted it behind her back. "You know Amanda, you're very lovely. I can see why that stupid guard Frank was interested in you." He pulled her tightly against his body and laughed as Amanda cringed upon feeling his arousal. "I like hurting people, Amanda. I find it very...stimulating. Maybe I can have some fun while you try to remember what Marcus told you."

Amanda knew her eyes must be enormous with fear. "I—"

"Yoo Hoo! Amanda? Are you still here?"

Amanda stiffened as she heard Mrs. Simms voice in the doorway. Riley spun her around, pulling her arm up tight behind her back and pressing the gun against her spine. "Don't do or say anything you'll regret," Riley whispered in her ear.

"Amanda?" Mrs. Simms walked into the house, squinting slightly at the change from the bright sun to the darker light of the living room. "Oh there you are! I just wanted to tell you that I suddenly realized I know your neighbour Mrs. DeShaw! We go to bingo... Oh, someone's with you. I'm sorry, I'll come back later..." The older woman turned to go then paused, staring at the man behind Amanda. "Wait. I know you. You're Susan's brother! What are you doing here? Marcus didn't like you and I'm sure he wouldn't want you in his house while he's gone."

"It's all right Mrs. Simms." Amanda said shakily. "He just stopped by to pick up something Susan left behind."

"After all this time? I find that hard to believe. Don't you trust him, Amanda! He's a sneaky one. Somehow, I'm sure he caused Marcus and that sweet girl to split up." Mrs. Simms walked further into the room and glared at David Riley. "I've been wanting to give you a piece of my mind for some time now—"

"Mrs. Simms, don't!" Amanda begged. She felt Riley's anger growing through the increased pressure he was putting on her arm. It felt like her arm was going to break and the pain was beginning to make her faint.

Suddenly, Riley let go of Amanda and pushed her backwards. She stumbled, barely keeping her balance. He pointed the gun at Mrs. Simms. "Old woman, I really don't give a damn what you think of me. Right now you're interfering with my plans. If I had time to dump your body somewhere I'd shoot you right now. "He gestured for the woman to join Amanda on the far side of the room. "Both of you sit."

They complied. Amanda took Mrs. Simms' hand and tried to convey comfort through her grip while warily watching the man in front of them. Her mouth was dry with fear as he stepped closer and ran the gun barrel across her face.

"I've spent the better part of this week following you Mrs. King. I assumed you had the key but you never went near the post office. Finally, I decided you didn't have it yet and yesterday I tried to search the house." Riley gave a short bark of laughter. "Of course it was my bad luck that I'd just come into the house through the back door, and started to look around when I heard you and Scarecrow on the front porch. Good thing this old lady came over to talk to you or I might not have made it out in time."

"I assumed the purpose of your visit here yesterday was to get the key but once again, you never went to the post office. That puzzled me until I remembered Marcus didn't want Scarecrow involved. Today, when I saw you heading out by yourself, I realized you were finally making your move. I knew you had spotted the van so while you were running avoidance patterns, I took the back streets over here and simply waited in the alley way for you to arrive. I gave you enough time to get in and retrieve the key, then made my grand entry. So, now that all of the explanations are over, the time has come for you to give the key to me and this annoying little interlude can be finished.

Amanda's eyes darted around the room frantically looking for the location of the key. 'Why didn't Marcus tell me where it was? He said it was in plain sight but I don't see anything.' Desperately she tried to think of a way out...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Meanwhile, across town....

Lee walked the hand-cuffed man up to his car. His prisoner was haggard and dirty with several days' growth of beard and dark circles under his eyes. Lee opened the car door, then glanced at his companion. "Marcus, the stench coming off of you had better not seep into my car."

Marcus summoned a half smile before sinking down into the seat. "Sorry, Scarecrow. Sleeping in a dumpster has a bad effect on personal hygiene."

"Yeah, I've noticed. I will commend you on the street person disguise. I wouldn't have found you if it hadn't been for that newscast. I wasn't even sure it was you, so I decided to come down here and have a look. You're losing your edge though. Hanging around a known Agency drop was just plain stupid. "

Lee slammed the car door shut , then walked around and climbed in the driver's seat. Starting the car, he began to drive towards the Agency.

"Trying to pawn my watch there wasn't my brightest move but then again, I haven't been thinking too clearly lately. I just needed some money and went to the first place I thought of." Marcus shrugged. His eyes held no spark, as if he'd lost everything worth living for.

"What did you need the money for? To fund you're run from the Agency? Food?"

"Nah—soup kitchen took care of the food. I wanted to give Amanda some money to buy a present for my son—some kind of keepsake. I thought she could give it to him for me. I didn't want him growing up, thinking his father never even cared." Marcus let his head fall back against the seat and closed his eyes. "I thought I'd slip the money to Amanda somehow before I took off for good."

"Amanda? Why would you be giving her money? She doesn't know anything about your son."

"You mean she never told you? I assumed after she got the information and talked to Susan, she'd hand it over to Billy and tell you all about it, seeing as you two are partners and all."

"Marcus, I have no idea what you're talking about. What information? And why would Amanda be talking to Susan—she didn't even know about her until yesterday—well, technically this morning when Mrs. Simms filled us in. Why did you do it? Why did you hook up with Riley? Your neighbour told us about the girlfriend and the baby. Marcus, you should have known better—a honey trap is the oldest scam in the book to get at an agent and, even if the girl was for real and not just part of an elaborate plan hatched by Riley to swing your allegiance over, why didn't you turn him in?"

"Didn't Amanda explain all of that to you?"

"No. You keep going back to Amanda. Why are you assuming she knows all about this?"

"But I told her in the tent, while you were still unconscious. I explained about Riley and his threats—how he was blackmailing me—he threatened to hurt Susan and the baby if I didn't help him. I told Amanda where I hid the evidence to bring Riley down and to clear my name with Susan..." He paused as Lee shook his head. "What?"

"Amanda doesn't know about any of that. She'd have told me if she did. Nice try but I'm not buying it."

"Lee, I swear to you, I'm not lying!"

"If 'evidence' exists, why didn't you just go and get it yourself? "

"What good would the evidence do me? Susan won't talk to me and I can't show my face at the Agency. I know Billy's figured out that something fishy was going on—that I was probably working with Riley. If I showed up at the Agency, I'd be locked up in detention before I got two words out. Nope, leaving it to Amanda was the best way—"

Just then Lee's car phone rang. Lee answered tersely. "Scarecrow... Oh, hi Francine... Billy told you to find me? Why? I'm supposed to be off the duty roster, you know.... Oh, you have a message from Amanda that he thinks I need to hear?... She remembered what she forgot and has gone to visit a friend's house. Okay—thanks."

Lee hung up the phone and was silent for a moment. Then he looked speculatively at Marcus. "I think I know what happened. After the crash, Amanda had amnesia for a few days. Her memory seemed to have returned but she kept having this feeling that she'd forgotten something important. It must be what you told her in the tent."

"Makes sense to me. So, if I overheard correctly, she's remembered now?"

"Yeah, it sounds that way and I think she's headed over to your house."

Marcus nodded. "She's probably gone to get the key to the post office box where I stored the evidence against Riley." He proceeded to fill Lee in on the whole story. As he concluded his tale, the phone rang again.

"Scarecrow." Lee barked into the phone. "What is it now Francine?... You've got the information on the licence plate Amanda called in? ...It's for a white van rented from Travel Well and they hired it out to David Riley? Damn!" Lee threw down the receiver, turned the car around sharply and sped down the street.

Marcus looked at him in surprise. "What's happening?"

"Amanda's been seeing this white van on and off for the last few days. She must have seen it again and called in the plates. They belong to a vehicle that was rented by a David Riley. Why the hell would he be following Amanda?"

"Because Riley overheard our conversation in the tent. He realizes that Amanda knows where the key is for the post office box. He's probably following her with plans to get the key and destroy the evidence I have against him."

Lee clenched his fists around the steering wheel. "Well, let's hope we get to your house before Riley does."

As Lee turned down Marcus' street, he slowed the vehicle. There was no white van in sight, just Amanda's wagon, parked in the driveway. He pulled the 'vette pulled up behind her car and got out looking around.

"No sign of the van. She must be inside getting the key. I'll go in and tell her about Riley and then we'll gather that evidence from your post office box."

****

Lee had only gone a few feet when a shout from Marcus stopped him. Lee turned and threw an irritated look at his prisoner. "What is it now?"

"There's something wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Mrs. Simms isn't out in her garden. It's two-forty five. She's always out between two and three."

"Yeah—I remember her telling Amanda something about that but maybe she just got done early and went inside."

"No. In Mrs. Simms' eyes, gardening is never done. She never goes in early. In fact, she's left her tools lying on the ground. I see her trowel over there by the Hostas. And her gardening shoes are on my front step"

Lee studied Mrs. Simms's yard and then Marcus' house while assimilating the information. Sheer curtains prevented him from having a clear view inside Marcus' living room but he thought he could make out people moving about. A cold feeling washed over him. "If Mrs. Simms saw Amanda going into your house, would she go over to visit ?"

"Possibly. She's a bit lonely and loves to have someone to talk to." Marcus shook his head. Worry was evident in his voice. "I don't know Lee, I just have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too... If I wanted to get into your house undetected, what's the best way to go?"

"Cut through Mrs. Simms' property and jump the fence into my backyard. Then sneak in through the kitchen."

"Okay. I'm going to go in and check things out. If I'm not back out in twenty minutes, use my car phone and call Billy."

Lee quickly made his way down Mrs. Simms' driveway and into her backyard. It was beautifully landscaped but he took scant notice. His attention was riveted to the white van parked in the alley behind the house. Inwardly, Lee groaned. Riley was already there.

Silently he hopped over the fence and made his way to the kitchen door. He crouched down to pick the lock then paused, someone had picked it already—there were scratch marks on the metal. Quietly, he turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. Voices could be heard drifting into the kitchen from the living room.

"I want that key, Mrs. King. Now where is it?" This was followed by the distinctive sound of flesh hitting flesh and Amanda's stifled cry. Lee jerked in response. Riley was in the house and had apparently hit Amanda. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't just barge into a hostage situation. Instead, he silently crept across the kitchen, all the while listening intently to what was going on in the next room. It was vital that he knew as much as possible about the situation before taking any action.

"I already told you, I don't know." Lee could hear the faint quaver in Amanda's voice and his heart thudded heavily in his chest as he thought of how scared she must be. He drew his gun in preparation then carefully cracked open the door to the living room and peeked in.

Amanda and Mrs. Simms were seated on the couch. Riley was standing in front of them, brandishing a handgun. From his vantage point, Lee could see Amanda's profile. Her chin was jutted out in a slightly defiant manner and her hands were tightly clasped in her lap. A faint reddening of her cheek gave evidence to the fact that Riley had indeed struck her. Lee noticed that she was blinking a little faster than normal, no doubt trying to keep tears at bay. He knew Amanda wouldn't want to give Riley the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Lee scanned the room for other details. The living room window was straight across from the kitchen and the front door was behind Riley. The sofa, an arm chair and the coffee table provided the only real cover in the room. His eyes shifted restlessly from the door to the sofa and then measured the distance to the kitchen. Amanda and Mrs. Simms were about equidistant from each. There was no advantage in coming in from one direction or the other.

Flexing his fingers on the handle of his gun, Lee realized that he'd have to wait for Riley to look away or become distracted before he could make a move. Briefly, he wished he'd thought to call for backup but hindsight was always twenty-twenty. Hopefully, when he didn't come back, Marcus would put in that call to Billy. Riley spoke again, and Lee snapped his eyes back onto the scene unfolding before him.

"I'm not a patient man, Mrs. King. Maybe you need more of an incentive to remember what Marcus told you." He grabbed Mrs. Simms arm and twisted it causing the woman to cry out. Amanda gasped.

"No—please don't hurt her. This is nothing to do with her. I...I think I remember now. Marcus told me about the key but I just need a moment to figure out the clues. He told me in a secret code and I need...um....I need....I need that magazine to decipher it." Lee was proud of how Amanda was trying to stall for time but his stomach also clenched in fear. He knew she had no idea where the key was and the magazine was just a bluff. Riley, however, did not.

"Good. I knew you'd remember with the proper form of persuasion. Take the magazine and figure out where the key is."

Amanda slowly leaned forward and picked up the stack of magazines. They were in a haphazard pile and as she lifted them, several started to slide onto the floor. A small key fell from between the pages and landed on the table top with a distinctive clink.

"The key!" Riley shouted gleefully. He started to bend over and pick it up.

With the gunman momentarily distracted, Lee knew this was his best chance to move in. He threw open the kitchen door and stepped into the room, training his gun on the man. "Drop it Riley!"

Amanda, catching sight of Lee, pushed Mrs. Simms to the ground underneath the coffee table, despite the older woman's confused cries of protest.

Riley spun around to face Lee with his gun pointed at the newcomer. "Scarecrow! We meet again. As I was telling your partner earlier on, you left much too quickly last time. You really do need to learn better manners."

"Cut the crap Riley and put down the gun."

"Now why would I do that? We seem to be equally matched here. You're pointing a gun at me, but I am also pointing a gun at you. You shoot me—I shoot you—stalemate, isn't it?"

"Maybe I don't care if you shoot me. I'm a Federal Agent. It's part of my job to put my life on the line if it means ridding the world of scum like you." Lee kept his eyes steady and his face expressionless even though he heard Amanda's almost imperceptible gasp at his statement.

"True—but so melodramatic. " Suddenly, Riley turned and pointed the gun at Amanda. "Now, in this situation, is your attitude the same? Your life might mean nothing to you, but what about your partner's? I've heard rumours that she's not even a trained agent. You shoot me —I shoot a civilian. What will you do now, Scarecrow?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lee allowed his eyes to dart towards Amanda. In that split second he took in her crouched form and the wide frightened eyes staring at the gun that was trained on her. Her face was white except for the still reddened handprint on her cheek.

"Don't listen to him, Lee." Amanda spoke with only the faintest tremor in her voice. "I might still be a civilian but I know what the risks are. We can't let the David Riley's of the world win."

"How noble of you, Mrs. King but it isn't up to you. The choice is Scarecrow's. What's more important to him? His integrity? His sense of duty and loyalty to the Agency? Or is it you? His partner and, dare I presume, lover?"

Riley ran his eyes insolently over Amanda, as if undressing her in his mind. Lee's jaw tightened. Just the thought of that man looking at her made his blood boil.

Tauntingly, Riley continued. "I know your reputation, Scarecrow. I can't believe you haven't sampled the delights of this particular dish. What's she like in bed? Is she worth it? Would you sacrifice your career for her? How much does she really mean to you?"

Lee swallowed hard. His eyes shifted from Riley to Amanda to the gun pointed at her head. Slowly he loosened his grip on his weapon and began to lower his arms.

"Ahh—just as I suspected. I'm a very good judge of people, you know. Marcus made the same decision. My sister and her brat proved to be excellent leverage over him. The idea that I might hurt them had him quickly falling in with my plans. It's amazing what a man will do for so called 'love,' though I must confess I was surprised when he ran off with you. I didn't think he'd abandon the oh so sweet Susan for the likes of you quite so quickly—"

"I didn't abandon her, Riley." Marcus suddenly spoke from the front entry way. All eyes swung to face the newcomer. "I simply found another way to keep her safe. Once you're behind bars, she'll be out of danger."

"But I won't be behind bars, Marcus. Now that I have the key, I'll gather the evidence you have against me and destroy it. Then I'll move on and set up business somewhere else. Now, since you're almost family, I'll give you the opportunity of working for me again. I'll even forgive this most recent indiscretion. Same terms as before. You do what I say and Susan is safe."

As Riley spoke, he momentarily allowed his gun to waver so it was pointing at the wall rather than Amanda's head. Lee seized the opportunity and fired, hitting Riley in the shoulder. At the same time, Amanda dropped to the ground. Riley's hand jerked as he fell back and his gun discharged, the bullet imbedding itself in the back of the sofa just a foot from where Amanda's head had been.

Lee kicked the gun away from Riley. Keeping his eyes trained on his fallen adversary, he spoke over his shoulder. "Amanda, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She answered slowly getting up from the floor.

After ensuring that Riley was alive but unconscious, Lee addressed Marcus. "Coming in here unarmed was a damn fool thing to do—but I'm glad you did."

"Yeah—well, when you didn't come back out, I called Billy like we planned and then I thought I'd just check what was going on inside. I found a lock pick in the console of your car and got out of the handcuffs, then crept up onto the porch. Riley was doing the same number on you, that he did on me. Threatening people you care about to get you to fall in with his plans... I figured if I appeared, it would distract him enough to allow you to make a move."

"Well, it worked—thanks." Lee hesitated and then reached out and shook Marcus' hand. Before this afternoon, he couldn't understand why Marcus had made the choice that he had. Now it seemed a lot clearer...

Amanda was busy helping Mrs. Simms up off the floor. "Oh my goodness, Marcus! Whatever was that all about?" Mrs. Simms said shakily.

"Umm...Well..." Marcus stammered.

Amanda jumped in. "You see Mrs. Simms, Mr. Riley works for a competing film company and that's why Susan left—she felt it was a conflict of interest. You see there was this big argument over the rights to a manuscript. Marcus locked it up for safe keeping in his post office box and Mr. Riley found out and wanted the key. Marcus told me he had hid the key in plain sight but I didn't realize what he meant, though I guess I should have known that in such a neat house, a messy pile of magazines really stands out and could be considered to be 'in plain sight.' Anyway, then..." Mrs. Simms' snort of derision stopped her in the middle of the convoluted explanation.

"Now Amanda, that's enough. I may be old but I'm no fool. Film company my foot! I couldn't follow all of the conversation but I can put two and two together. I've watched those James Bond movies. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to learn that Marcus is some sort of top secret government spy." She toddled over to Marcus and patted his cheek. "Don't you worry dear, I won't tell a soul. Now I'm going to go home and finish my gardening. After that, I think I'll have a cup of tea and take a little nap. I'm too old for this espionage business."

The three agents stood in shocked silence for a moment. As the door clicked shut behind Mrs. Simms, they all began to laugh. "I guess I wasn't fooling her with all of my tall tales." Marcus chuckled.

"Hmm...Makes me wonder about my mother. Does she really believe all those stories I tell her?" Amanda mused.

Lee gave Amanda a one armed hug. "Do you really want to know?"

Amanda shook her head.

On the ground, Riley groaned which reminded them all that there was still quite a bit to be done. Lee called Billy and found out that a team was only moments away. He looked at Marcus. The man had been instrumental in saving Amanda and himself twice now—to be sure he'd also been aiding the enemy but, with extenuating circumstances. Lee shifted uncomfortably. Just an hour ago, 'extenuating circumstances' had had no meaning to him but now.... Lee waged an ethical battle with himself. What he was about to say felt wrong but not saying it also felt wrong. He cleared his throat, hesitated briefly and then spoke,

"Uh, Marcus, a team will be here in just a few minutes..." He paused, rubbed his neck vigorously then opened his mouth to speak. Nothing came out. He swallowed hard, shoved his hands in his pocket and started again, looking everywhere but at the man to whom he was speaking. "I suppose I could—

"Don't say it, Stetson." Marcus stopped him before he even started. "A life on the run isn't for me. I could have left the area anytime I wanted over the past week but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I want to deal with this and then move on. I'm not leaving and I won't let you compromise your principles by suggesting something you'll regret later."

Lee finally looked at Marcus. "I was going to make the same choice that you did—"

"You don't know that for sure. I came in before the scene played out."

Lee started to speak but then stopped, unsure of what he was even planning on saying. The sound of cars pulling up in front of the house ended the conversation.

An EMS team came in and dealt with Riley while other agents swarmed the house, gathering evidence and asking questions. As Lee walked Amanda to her car, he looked up and saw Marcus being led away. Marcus turned and for a moment their eyes met before he was urged on his way. Lee stood grimly watching the car leave. He felt his hand being squeezed and looked down to see Amanda watching him with a concerned expression.

"Lee, are you all right?"

He mulled the question over for a moment before answering. "I don't know...I'll have to think about it."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Later that night, Lee and Amanda sat curled up on the sofa in Lee's apartment. A fire was crackling away, soft music was playing in the background and a bottle of wine stood half-empty on the table.

Amanda nestled her head against Lee's chest and sighed contentedly. "This is so nice. Just the two of us in front of the fire."

"Hmm—this is how I saw my time off being spent, not chasing after bad guys."

"Helping out Marcus was the least we could do. I'm so glad that Susan's agreed to drive into DC with the baby tomorrow for a meeting. Seeing your son for the first time in an Agency holding cell isn't ideal but Marcus is so excited, I don't think he cares."

"You know Amanda, when I picked him up this afternoon and was taking him in, his eyes had no life in them. It was like he'd given up. He'd lost his girl friend, his son, his job...Now, even with a possible sentence hanging over his head, he has something to look forward to."

"The evidence in the post office box will help out his case though, won't it? It proves he was being blackmailed by Riley."

"It will certainly work in his favour, but I don't know if it will be enough. Billy's doing all he can, though."

"Mr. Melrose really cares about his agents doesn't he? "

"As much as this job lets anyone care. Having attachments isn't encouraged."

Amanda sat up and looked at Lee. "So you and me—being here together—it's going to be a problem, isn't it?"

Lee reached up and stroked her face. She closed her eyes for a moment and leaned into his hand, absorbing the warmth and caring the touch conveyed. "Amanda—I love you and I want to spend as much time with you as possible—"

"But at work, we're going to have to keep things quiet aren't we?"

"If they know we care, they'll split us up. 'Objectivity keeps us effective' as Billy would say and around you, I'm not objective anymore."

"Lee, this afternoon at Marcus' house—"

He laid a finger across her lips silencing her. "This afternoon I learned something about myself. The world is quite as black and white as I thought it was. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet but I think I'll be more 'open-minded' because of it. More willing to try and see both sides of a story, less quick to point an accusing finger..."

She smiled up at him but said nothing, sensing he wanted to keep talking. "I also learned how much you mean to me. I knew I loved you but I don't think I really understood how deep it went... Amanda, I really would do anything for you."

"I know you would Lee." She leaned forward and kissed him slowly then stood and held out her hand.

For a moment, Lee sat where he was, staring at her with solemn hazel eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, I'm sure. This isn't going to be an easy relationship—having to hide it from everyone and never knowing when something might happen... " She shrugged, not wanting to voice that particular thought. "I don't want to waste a moment of my time with you."

"Then we won't." Lee stood and put his arm around her shoulder and they walked towards the bedroom together. He turned on the bedside lamp, while Amanda drew back the bed sheets. Then Lee took her hands in his and stared deeply into her eyes. "I love you, Amanda King."

"And I love you, Lee Stetson." She reached up and drew his head down. As their lips met, she sighed happily at the feeling of warmth that flooded through her. This was right. This was what she'd been waiting for her whole life.

Tenderly they kissed, drew apart and kissed again, changing the angle, then the pressure. Nibbling, then soothing, capturing one lip between two, gently tugging and releasing. Lee's tongue traced the outline of her lips then probed deeper. Amanda parted her lips farther, welcoming him in. Their tongues danced then took turns exploring until both were gasping for breath.

For a moment they just stood, bodies pressed together from head to toe, absorbing the wonder of the moment they had both waited so long for. Then gentle questing hands began to explore, clothing melted away and they fell to the bed, lost in the joy of discovery. Kissing then caressing, they moved together. Tender touches led to sighs of pleasure and then cries of ecstasy. The two became one, heart and soul, mind and body ,now united for eternity.

As her breathing slowed, Lee stroked her hair from her face, murmuring words of love. She ran her hand over his chest, then looked up at him and smiled. "Mmm...I love you, Lee Stetson...that was perfect."

He gave her a quirky half-smile and ran his hand down the length of her body. "Thanks...I think you're perfect, too."

She felt a blush rising on her face, which she knew was silly but she couldn't help herself. Ducking her head, she responded. "I'm not really, but I'm glad you think so."

He put his finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. "To me you're the most wonderful woman in the world and I love you more than anything." He gave her a quick firm kiss, then lay his head down and gathered her close. "You know, at first I couldn't understand how Marcus seemed to fall in with Riley so easily but, if he loves Susan even half as much as I love you, it easy to see."

Amanda looked at him seriously. "It's not really a comfortable feeling is it? Knowing that you're so completely under the spell of another person...Do you remember when we were holed up in that shelter in the mountains and Riley's men had just found us? You handed me that gun and I didn't want to take it. I didn't want to shoot anyone but it came down to a choice. Saving you or..." She shrugged. "I found out that I really didn't have a choice. There was only one decision I could make, and given the same choice, I'd probably make it again."

Lee nodded in agreement. "That's how I felt today. In a way it was hard because everything I thought I believed in was on the line, but in another way, it was easy. I knew I had to keep you safe, no matter what the cost might be."

Reaching up she traced his lips with her finger. "Real love isn't always easy. It's messy and inconvenient and involves a lot of sacrifice. It isn't all candlelight and roses, you know."

"I've done candlelight and roses before. It can get pretty boring and superficial after a while." Lee leaned over and, as his lips descended on hers, he whispered, " I'd much rather share reality with you."

The End


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